THE Carrick Creagh Home Owners Association (CCHOA) is trying to create an estate that residents of the gated community can be proud of and protect the value of their properties, says CCHOA chairman, Mr David Mnangagwa.
In an interview with Suburban, Mr Mnangagwa said in pursuit of that objective and to protect the value of their properties in the estate, the CCHOA executive committee saw it fit to come up with certain standards that should be adhered to by all who aspire to live in the estate. The CCHOA chairperson said this in response to accusations levelled against the association which include making residents pay what its critics called an “arbitrary fee†of US$30 per month. Some of the Carrick Creagh Estate residents claimed that the home owners’ association was using the monthly fees it was collecting for “purposes they see fit without consulting residentsâ€. They also further
alleged that failure to pay the fee meant residents had to open the boom gate for themselves and for their visitors as well as a ban on 30-tonne trucks into the complex.
But Mr Mnangagwa said there will always be a handful of people who are anti-progress and who will oppose everything even if the measures have good objectives. “It’s quite unfortunate but you have been misinformed on so many levels. There will always be a handful who are anti-progress but all we do is ultimately for our children’s benefit. CCHOA was duly constituted by the residents of Carrick Creagh Estate and an executive elected which I chair. We have a constitution endorsed by residents as well as rules and regulations that all residents will have to abide by.
This arose from the desire to live in a secure and serene environment. “Our first phase of implementation was to levy a US$30 fee for security which is not arbitrary. House break-ins had been rampant with incidents occurring weekly. I can confidently tell you right now there has been zero break-ins since December (last year) when we started this initiative. We have security at the boom gate and night patrols covering all 21 kilometres of the estate.
Statements of contributions as well as expenditure are shared with residents bi-weekly,†he said. Mr Mnangagwa also outlined how the Carrick Creagh Estate residents hoped to deal with the problem of lack of service delivery from the City of Harare by funding the maintenance of infrastructure and amenities in the area. “Part of our mandate is to maintain our infrastructure, a major component of which are the roads. While residents have not yet been levied for road maintenance, the first step was to stop the damage which is how the ban on 30-tonne trucks came about.
“This was done in consultation with engineers as well as a market study of the pricing discrepancy in bringing smaller trucks. I think you will also discover that such heavy loads aren’t even allowed in the CBD,†he said. Harare by-laws outlaw heavy trucks from using residential and central business district
roads and the failure to implement these by-laws is one of the factors contributing to the rapid deterioration of most of the capital city’s roads over the years. Mr Mnangagwa said the CCHOA executive is doing this out of passion and on a voluntary basis.
“The majority of residents appreciate the efforts of trying to have an estate we can be proud of and protect the value of our properties,†he said. In the neighbouring Borrowdale Brooke estate, the Borrowdale Brooke Home Owners Association has more or less the same rules and regulations meant to ensure a secure neighbourhood, a serene living environment, protecting the value of residents’ properties as well as ensuring services are not lacking.
In 2019, Borrowdale Brooke residents funded the establishment of a sewer treatment plant in the suburb at a cost of US$660 000. A number of other estates or gated residential areas in Harare are also doing the same when it comes to security and provision of services given the City of Harare’s incapacitation.
In an interview with Suburban, Mr Mnangagwa said in pursuit of that objective and to protect the value of their properties in the estate, the CCHOA executive committee saw it fit to come up with certain standards that should be adhered to by all who aspire to live in the estate. The CCHOA chairperson said this in response to accusations levelled against the association which include making residents pay what its critics called an “arbitrary fee†of US$30 per month. Some of the Carrick Creagh Estate residents claimed that the home owners’ association was using the monthly fees it was collecting for “purposes they see fit without consulting residentsâ€. They also further
alleged that failure to pay the fee meant residents had to open the boom gate for themselves and for their visitors as well as a ban on 30-tonne trucks into the complex.
But Mr Mnangagwa said there will always be a handful of people who are anti-progress and who will oppose everything even if the measures have good objectives. “It’s quite unfortunate but you have been misinformed on so many levels. There will always be a handful who are anti-progress but all we do is ultimately for our children’s benefit. CCHOA was duly constituted by the residents of Carrick Creagh Estate and an executive elected which I chair. We have a constitution endorsed by residents as well as rules and regulations that all residents will have to abide by.
This arose from the desire to live in a secure and serene environment. “Our first phase of implementation was to levy a US$30 fee for security which is not arbitrary. House break-ins had been rampant with incidents occurring weekly. I can confidently tell you right now there has been zero break-ins since December (last year) when we started this initiative. We have security at the boom gate and night patrols covering all 21 kilometres of the estate.
Statements of contributions as well as expenditure are shared with residents bi-weekly,†he said. Mr Mnangagwa also outlined how the Carrick Creagh Estate residents hoped to deal with the problem of lack of service delivery from the City of Harare by funding the maintenance of infrastructure and amenities in the area. “Part of our mandate is to maintain our infrastructure, a major component of which are the roads. While residents have not yet been levied for road maintenance, the first step was to stop the damage which is how the ban on 30-tonne trucks came about.
“This was done in consultation with engineers as well as a market study of the pricing discrepancy in bringing smaller trucks. I think you will also discover that such heavy loads aren’t even allowed in the CBD,†he said. Harare by-laws outlaw heavy trucks from using residential and central business district
roads and the failure to implement these by-laws is one of the factors contributing to the rapid deterioration of most of the capital city’s roads over the years. Mr Mnangagwa said the CCHOA executive is doing this out of passion and on a voluntary basis.
“The majority of residents appreciate the efforts of trying to have an estate we can be proud of and protect the value of our properties,†he said. In the neighbouring Borrowdale Brooke estate, the Borrowdale Brooke Home Owners Association has more or less the same rules and regulations meant to ensure a secure neighbourhood, a serene living environment, protecting the value of residents’ properties as well as ensuring services are not lacking.
In 2019, Borrowdale Brooke residents funded the establishment of a sewer treatment plant in the suburb at a cost of US$660 000. A number of other estates or gated residential areas in Harare are also doing the same when it comes to security and provision of services given the City of Harare’s incapacitation.